What is the best way to cook things like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc? Steam them?

I've been doing frozen veggies in the bags, but I really want to start switching to fresh produce, but I don't know how to cook anything. lol

Hi WilTX ~ If KaraCooks stops in, she will give you some great recipe ideas

For myself, I love to saute veggies quickly in a pan with a bit of veggie stock *or chicken* I don't over cook them so that they are still firm and have all their nutrients. Steaming is great, or even in parchment paper in the oven, baked.*parchment paper or tinfoil, add a little cooking spray, wash veggies and leave some of the water on them, place in center of paper or foil and fold up material of choice like a package. *a little bit of fat free dressing added to the veggies can be used for moisture and flavor* Bake at 350-375 til desired tenderness.

those are just the kinds of ideas I'm looking for. Just simple ways to make fresh vegetables so that they're taster than the frozen stuff.

awesome, happy to help

So many things you can do. Personally I am not a big fan of cooked carrots unless they're in a soup or casserole, but some people really like them. That said ... here are some ideas.

Most veg can be roasted in the oven - toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and whatever spices you want, spread them out on a baking sheet, and bake them in a 400 oven for 20 mins - or even longer. Sometimes I like to cook mine until they're a few steps away from burnt - I like the crunchy bits. Broccoli does this really well in fact. And I love roasted cauliflower. Mmmm.

Or in a large non-stick skillet, put a little olive oil and a tiny bit of butter (for flavor) bring it up until it's sizzling. Throw in a little bit of chopped garlic, give it a quick stir, then throw in your veg. Stir them around and keep them moving for about 10 mins then eat as soon as possible. They'll be lightly cooked, but still crisp. When you take them off the heat, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on them to brighten up the flavor.

Of course you can make a soup - I do this with bags of frozen veg a lot. Start with stock or water or whatever - add in your veg of choice (I like the mixed bag of veg with carrots, peas, corn, and so forth), and bring to a low simmer. Add in some diced potato and right before it's done, add in a can of chicken breast meat. It's a good, rich chicken veg soup. You can also add in a 1/4 cup of brown rice or some pasta instead of the potato for a chicken and rice or chicken noodle with veg.

Oh another thing I love to do with cauliflower, especially the frozen kind: cook it in the microwave or steam it until it's falling apart tender. Then mash it up with some skim or low fat milk, or low fat sour cream, salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with low-fat cheese. Basically treat it like mashed potatoes - and put whatever you want on it. I love this in the winter.

If you do like cooked carrots, take your carrots and microwave them until they're slightly tender (but not all the way). Then in a non-stick skillet, put about 1tsp of butter (or butter substitute) and 1tbsp of honey. Set the heat to medium and just toss the carrots in the honey mix until they're glazed and hot. Maybe 5 mins, tossing or stirring constantly. You can add a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon or a 1/2 tsp of ginger to spice them up.

Ok, I'm outta here for now - gotta go meet someone. But I'll come back and post more ideas and a few real recipes rather than the "thrown together" stuff.

Awesome...those are some great ideas. Thanks, Kara.

Is this 'sauteing'?

Yes indeedy it is!

Guess who's having broccoli for dinner tomorrow?

Is there a good website for just generic healthy cooking ideas and recipes like these? Or maybe a cookbook? I'm just starting from zero when it comes to cooking.

See, I told you Kara has great ideas...lol.
There are so many great recipes on the net, though i am a fan of cook books myself. For myself, i bought one that was diabetic based, but it has fantastic recipes and they basically follow the Canadian or American food guide and are low sugar.
When looking on line, just type in key words like Low fat recipes, low carb...whatever it is you are looking for. Epicurious has great recipes on line that are free

I always like my food on the ... crunchy ... side. When we order pizza (on the rare occasions) I always put a few pieces in the toaster oven and crisp them up and get the cheese all brown and bubbly on top.

I also like toast dark, and fried eggs with that little fringe of dark crust around them.

I'm weird.

Great ideas in this thread.

I like to put a mix of vegetables in salads, but some vegetables are just a little too crisp for my taste in their raw forms. For example, I've never personally liked raw cauliflower or raw broccoli in salads. So I'll get a big pot of water boiling, and dunk any too-crisp veggies in the boiling water for a minute or two--just enough to get them a bit more tender, but not so much they get soft. After the minute or two is up, you pull them out with a strainer and immediately dunk them under cold water. That stops the cooking process, so they maintain their texture and color. The technique is called "blanching."

Then, I mix the blanched veggies in with my greens and whatever uncooked veggies I'm using, and toss the whole thing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and maybe some shavings of Parmesan cheese or a bit of goat cheese if I feel like it.

I've got alot to learn...

One of the best books for learning to cook is Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything". It looks intimidating because it's a BIG book ... but it's actually a lot of very basic information. You can look up just about any food in the index and get information on how to cook it just plain, or how to incorporate it in recipes.

There's also a version called "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" which is awesome for veggie meals. You can get it on Amazon here: How To Cook Everything Vegetarian